After the Curfew

Shortly after the Dutch recognition of Indonesia’s independence in 1949, Bandung in West Java enforces a city-wide curfew as the new political and social climate hardens. Iskandar A.N. Alcaff has just been released from the Indonesian Armed Forces and arrives in Bandung on edge, narrowly escaping being shot. He finds shelter and support at the home of his fiancée, Norma Netty Herawaty, where Norma and her family offer a brief haven from the turbulence outside. The next day, Norma’s father Abdul Hadi arranges a job for Iskandar at the governor’s office, a role meant to stabilise his transition from the battlefield to civilian life. Yet the job quickly proves hollow, and Iskandar is fired almost as soon as he begins, leaving him with a gnawing sense that his past as a revolutionary is still chasing him.

Seeking guidance, Iskandar reconnects with Gafar Awaludin, a former squad member who has become a successful building contractor. Gafar tells him that nobody truly understands the burden of his revolutionary memories, and that he still hears the screams of a family he once killed. Hoping for direction, Iskandar asks about Gunawan R.D. Ismail, their former leader who now wields power to nationalise the economy and who does not hesitate to use force to crush competition. Gunawan appears to offer a path, but he wants to employ Iskandar as a hired gun to threaten a rival businessman. Iskandar refuses, exploding in fury and leaving Gunawan’s office with his conscience burning and his sense of purpose unsettled.

Further tangled in the web of the old squad is Puja Bambang Hermanto, who has left the army and fallen into a life of gambling and vice. Puja’s exploits bring him into conflict with Laila Dhalia, a prostitute under Puja’s control, whose treatment by Puja reveals the underside of the new order in post-independence Bandung. Iskandar sits with Laila, listening to her stories and sharing a moment of humanity amid the chaos, while Puja continues to gamble and to scheme. Through these encounters, Iskandar learns that the violence surrounding them is not purely a matter of personal vendetta—it is deeply entangled with the politics and economic shifts tearing at the city.

Gafar finally reveals a painful truth: the family Iskandar killed under Gunawan’s orders were not Dutch spies but refugees, and the jewelry that disappeared with them helped bankroll Gunawan’s expanding business empire. The revelation hardens Iskandar’s resolve. He swears revenge and returns to Norma’s home, masking his turmoil behind a polished exterior as the welcome-home party continues.

An awkward moment during the celebration—when Iskandar accidentally spills water on a girl’s dress—triggers a deeper guilt and a desire to escape the burden of his actions. He seizes his revolver and heads back into the night, seeking a decisive act that might redeem him or finally end his torment. He and Puja decide to confront Gunawan at his house, a plan born from desperation and the sense that power has corrupted everything they once stood for. Iskandar accuses Gunawan of corruption, and in a tense confrontation, he shoots Gunawan. Gunawan’s chilling reply—“it was for the good of the country”—echoes the dangerous fusion of ideology and expediency that drives the narrative. Norma, worried and searching for Iskandar, learns of the murder as the city’s frayed nerves tighten around them.

Panic spreads as the two men flee Gunawan’s residence. At Puja’s house, the aftermath of the shooting becomes a crucible for their loyalties. Iskandar calls Puja a coward and strikes him, while Laila, who has watched the scene unfold, notes that Norma had come looking for him. Iskandar returns to the party for a moment, but a police announcement about the murder forces him to flee again. Military police men hunter him, and he eludes them by slipping away to seek shelter with Gafar [Awaludin], who urges him to leave the past behind. Gafar also mentions that Norma had come by earlier, hinting at the deeper reach of Iskandar’s personal and political entanglements.

Despite Gafar’s counsel, Iskandar cannot escape the net closing around him. He races toward Norma’s home, only to be spotted by patrols. The chase culminates at Norma’s doorstep, where Iskandar is finally shot and killed as the guests at the celebration look on in stunned silence. The film closes on a note of tragedy, as a life defined by militancy, guilt, and the costs of turbulent political change ends in a ceremonial house turned scene of a fatal, almost domestic, betrayal.

In the aftermath, the story lingers on the fragile boundaries between revolutionary zeal and the human cost of postwar upheaval. The tale moves through echoes of loyalty, vengeance, and the difficult path to reckon with a past that refuses to stay buried. The characters—each drawn from the shadows of Bandung’s formative years—reveal how quickly personal histories can collide with national ambitions, leaving a legacy that remains unfinished even as the curfew lifts and the city tries to move forward.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:26